Moments In Time
by chasingfireflies
Summary: drabbleCollection. Because if you didn't have them, what would the rest of your life be. VariedThemes, mainly T/Y.
1. Changed

**Disclaimer: …same old, same old…**

* * *

Tidus kicked at the ground, leaving a trail in the dirt.

Then he stopped, staring out at the beach from the top of the cliff. His eyes narrowed, he gritted his teeth, and then he tore the sword from his back and threw it off to his side, sitting down abruptly and glaring out at the horizon in the afternoon sun. Very un-Tidus-like behaviour, perhaps, but bad moods had him entitled to it.

"Tells me to stay with her and then she's never happy when I'm around," he commented irately. "Never makes it easy, does she?" he murmured, fuming for another moment before he sighed and fell back, staring at the blue sky blankly. That was how he stayed for the rest of the day.

It was dark before he even started to stand, picking up the Brotherhood slowly, unhappy, and sluggishly trudging his way back to the village. Didn't know why he was bothering- Yuna probably wouldn't even want him near the house. Apparently he'd been 'picking on Brother again'. As if he had in the first place. Either way, Yuna was angry with him – like she seemed to be most days – and the nineteen year old seemed remarkably good at holding grudges these days (despite all prior evidence to the contrary).

Probably have to crash at Wakka and Lulu's for a couple of days – just until it blew over. And if it didn't blow over he'd catch a ride the next time Rikku dropped in and go visit Gippal for a bit – they'd become fast friends, really. Of course, Tidus was hoping that it wouldn't go that far, but with the fight they'd had, he really wouldn't be surprised. Part of him was still wondering how it had gone that far in the first place.

The rest of him was reminded that the girl had changed one hell of a lot in the past couple of years, and just _maybe _they weren't as well-suited as they used to be. That thought made him remarkably sad.

His feet led him to Wakka's almost immediately upon entering the small village. With a slight sigh he rapped his knuckles on the wooden frame around the door flap to Wakka's little hut. There was a small shuffling sound inside, and then Wakka held the flap open and he was dragged inside, finding himself in a headlock.

"…guh… what the hell are you _doing_ Wakka?" he asked quietly.

"You got our Yuna worried, yah?" came the stern, but slightly joking, reply. Tidus frowned. "She's been lookin' everywhere for _you_, man."

"Why?"

"Because you disappeared, yah?" Wakka asked, letting go of the younger man and letting him straighten up.

"Didn't really seem like she wanted me around…" Tidus replied quietly, gaze directed at the floor. He started as he felt someone's arms around him, intending to punch Wakka if he was pulling some kind of whacked out stunt before he realised two very significant things.

To start with, Wakka had retreated to the other side of the room, watching with a small smile as Tidus got hugged from behind, and secondly, the girl hugging him was reasonably shorter than him.

"How could you think that?" came Yuna's quiet voice in his ear. "Don't you _ever_ think that."

Then he relaxed considerably, knowing that _maybe_ she hadn't changed too much.


	2. I Know

**Yup.**

* * *

"He loves you, you know."

Yuna froze at the words, staring, unseeing, at the wall of rain branching away from the two of them under the shelter. Lulu ignored the action, ignored the rain, and the flashes of lightning and crashes of the Thunder Plains. Because it was one of the rare moments in time in which Lulu chose to voice a truth that she may not have particularly agreed with, and that required her entire concentration on not returning to silence.

She'd conceded to tell the younger girl this particular truth. She didn't know why. It might have been because she was compelled to as she would for a best friend or a younger sister (and for Lulu, Yuna was both). It might have been that she wanted for Yuna not to marry the Guado Maester. It might even have been that she wanted the young blonde man with the too-happy grin for those times to cut a break, just for once.

But for whatever reason, the words were sliding past her lips under the cover of the pouring rain. She was asking herself where they came from, because she'd never thought of the young man's interest in the summoner going beyond a crush, or a slight infatuation. But she said the words, and as she did she realised they were true.

It was in the way he looked at her – studying every movement, every expression. How he listened to her every word, barely questioning, memorising the sound of the summoner's young voice. The way he always tried to find a way to make her smile when she was sad, and how he'd do anything she asked of him without even a moment's notice. Lulu could see it in the boy's eyes when he watched the summoner dance, always waiting to help her if she stumbled, lift her back to her feet if she fell, help her try again if she failed.

And, of course, it was set so solidly in his determination to keep her safe and keep her alive that Lulu doubted it would waver, even when he found out Yuna's grim fate.

And of course, the young summoner loved him too, Lulu realised. So evident in the way the young girl glanced back at him every so often, almost as if to check that he were still there, following her as happily and naively as before. In her guilty and regretful expressions when he wasn't looking and she'd been thinking far too long over the fact that he had no idea what he was helping her to do, her nervous and light giggles whenever he said or did something stupid, or he came a little closer than normal through the invisible bubble that was Yuna's emotional ward. How she'd smile at anything he said, or jump to defend his side (although, heaven forbid he ever truly dispute Yevon - the young summoner would be torn), brush her hand against his "accidentally", even only for a moment, or the light blush that would stain her cheeks whenever they connected gazes unexpectedly.

Almost inevitably, the two teenagers had been drawn together.

Lulu, who hadn't approved initially (not to say she did much more now than in the beginning), was now considering several complicated ways of having one admit this to the other, because, to be honest, for as long as Yuna was happy, so would she be. And the young blitzballer would, evidently, make Yuna happy.

"I…" Yuna started quietly, barely heard above the pounding rain, and Lulu narrowed her eyes at the young girl in front of her while she visibly relaxed, still not turning to look at the black mage. "…I know."

Lulu almost smiled, realising that Yuna was, perhaps, a lot more observant than the black mage originally thought. Then she noticed that the words were meant as a grim acknowledgement, and she realised that the young summoner had no intention whatsoever to act on the fact. A grim disappointment bloomed in her heart, sympathy, and a slight amount of pride to the difficult choice the young girl was making. She still frowned, though, even as Yuna repeated the words, this time to herself.

"I know."


	3. Guilty

**Just a short one this time.**

* * *

She hadn't quite intended it to go so far as it had.

The odd part of feeling guilty about it was that she really didn't- not at all. In fact, she was quite the opposite. The fact that she and Tidus were stealing kisses whenever no one was looking did, in no way whatsoever, make her guilty. And the fact that she wasn't feeling guilty about it was _making _her feel guilty about it.

She felt like she needed to talk about it.

She also knew that she didn't _want _to.


	4. Two Years

**If this were a daily thing, I would be failing…**

* * *

"Question!" Tidus announced, coming to a stop completely on the Besaidian path. Yuna stopped a moment later, turning back to look at him. She cocked her head to the side in an unvoiced question, even as he brought his gloved hands together in front of him and fixed her with his sparkling blue gaze.

"Yes?" she prompted quietly. He smiled slightly.

"You really play blitzball?"

She couldn't help but laugh, turning around again and starting to walk again. There was a small hesitation before she heard his footsteps sounding along with hers.

"Didn't answer my question," he stated softly, and she smiled.

"Sorry. I was expecting it to be something more important," she replied quietly. There was an intruding silence then, and she turned to look at him again, seeing some obvious discomfort etched into his face as he stared pointedly at the ground, following along behind her. "You're troubled?"

"I just don't see…" he started in reply, looking up to meet her eyes again, "…how that's not… important…"

She frowned, turning her own eyes back to the path and creating a small silence of her own. In a way, she found it slightly disappointing that the first thing he would ask her when they were well and truly alone, for the first time in two years, would be in some way related to blitzball. She frowned further as she thought that, feeling his eyes on her.

"What are you thinking?"

The question caught her off guard, only a moment before she thought that she would have been happier if it had been asked _before _the blitzball question.

"I'm thinking…" she started slowly, thinking it over. "I'm thinking that it's rather disappointing, actually," she finished firmly, gaze moving up to the sky. "That the first thing you would ask me after being apart for two years would be that. About blitzball."

His footsteps stopped once more and she took another couple of steps before turning to look at him again. This time his eyes weren't sparkling as he stared at her in her gunner's outfit. They were darker and deeply troubled. His brow furrowed as he seemed to go over the statement.

"That's what you think?" he asked quietly, watching her nod once, barely for verification. He lifted an eyebrow. "You think I'm asking because, after two years, the first thing I want to know about is _blitzball_?" he questioned, earning another nod before rolling his eyes, staring at the sky and talking under his breath and in a, sarcastic monotone. "Oh, dear _Yevon_… what _have _you done to this girl?" Yuna's eyes narrowed at him as he did so, beginning to doubt her earlier thoughts.

He sighed.

"Yuna, I'm not _asking _after two years because it's _blitzball_," he explained slowly. "I'm asking because it's _been two years_. I'm asking because it's _you_."

And, to that, she couldn't help but smile.


	5. Rules Of Flirting

**Cool story, bro.**

* * *

"What are they doing over there?"

"Flirting?"

"What? Really?"

"Yep," Tidus replied softly. "Trust me, they're flirting."

"Because…" Yuna started quietly, turning her eyes back to him. "…you're such an expert at flirting yourself…?" Tidus blinked at her.

"No. Because there are three classic signs of successful flirting," he told her dully, looking back to Rikku and Gippal at their place across the fire. "Watch Rikku," he told Yuna gently, noting that the brunette turned her head slightly to look. "Okay- so, giddy smile…"

There was a short silence as they both watched Rikku's face light up at something the Machine Faction leader said. Then Yuna laughed. "Yes, I'll give you that one," she conceded humorously. Tidus grinned.

"Now comes some kind of bodily contact," Tidus continued, half chuckling as he spoke. He paused for a moment. "Normally a touch of the hand or something," he added, chuckling again while Yuna scoffed, seeing Rikku's hand brush against Gippal's.

"Then he'll give her another comment, and… cue flirtacious laughter!" he announced, only to have the sound meet both their ears. Yuna blinked.

"You're kidding," she said, clearly disbelieving. "Sheesh. How'd you know that?" she asked, turning back to Tidus. He smirked, reaching out to take her hand as she stood before him and he leaned against one of the hut walls.

"I pay attention."


	6. Twenty Seventeen

**Curious concept.**

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you- happy birthday to Yunie, happy birthday to youuuuu…!"

Yuna grumbled wordlessly for a moment at the younger girl's loud call. Someone sighed, the sound much too masculine to be Rikku again, and the brunette felt a sudden need to open her eyes. Then she remembered she was tired.

"Oh no…" Came the voice that she immediately knew matched the sigh from earlier. "Rikku, have you ever _seen _Yuna on a morning?" There was a pause.

"Tidus. In case you hadn't noticed, Yunie and me have been travelling together for about two years in total. 'Course I have."

"Ye-ha… Have you ever actually _woken _her up before? When she was _trying _to sleep?"

"…No…"

"Good. Now. You don't want to." There was a warning threat hiding in his words, and when the young Al Bhed spoke again she sounded slightly worried.

"You think Yunie'll hurt me…?"

"Yep."

"…Bad?

"Possibly."

Yuna half smiled at the ongoing conversation on either side of her bed while she frowned at being woken up in the first place. With that in mind, she turned on her side to face Rikku and grumbled lifting a hand and swiping out at her half-heartedly. She heard her cousin give out a small squeak.

"Good luck then," the Al Bhed girl said quickly, and then there was no more than the sound of quickly retreating footsteps. A short silence followed before Yuna felt a dip in the bed behind her, and then an arm was circling her waist. She gave a small hum of contentment as Tidus leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Twenty, huh?" he asked her quietly, barely even breathing the words. She froze for a moment and her eyes flicked open.

"Oh," she murmured. "Crap." He seemed to ignore her, humming a quiet tune as he twisted his fingers into the white fabric of her shirt. She spun slightly in front of him to fix him with both green and blue eyes, slightly concerned. "You're still seventeen." He merely smiled, barely showing his sadness at all.

"Just don't leave me behind, okay?" he told her gently, bringing a small smile to her lips as she reached up to stroke his hair.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, just as quietly, watching as his eyes lit up and he returned her small smile and kissed her once more, this time lightly on the lips. She hummed again, laying back down as she had before with his arm around her waist, then moved her hand to his, interlocking their fingers before closing her eyes to go back to sleep in his warmth. She smiled to herself as he whispered one last thing in her ear and then held her close.

"Happy birthday, Yuna."


	7. Not Fighters, For Once

**Stole someone's catch phrase.**

* * *

Rikku grinned, looking down at the two of them, blonde and brunette, as they laughed quietly with each other and exchanged whispered words on the beach in the moonlight. Deciding to leave this moment uninterrupted, she let the leaves move back into place before her and turned to skip back to the village, Paine following at her heels quietly, content.

She couldn't help but dwell on those thoughts, wonder for her own future. She'd been chasing trouble for far too long, she'd decided, and she may as well copy Yuna and take some time off. Maybe go visit Gippal…

Maybe. But not for another few days. She had to stick around for that long, if only to bask in her cousin's happiness that came with Tidus's return. That's what they were doing back on the beach – talking, laughing, joking around.

Not fighters, for once.

Just kids.


	8. Temporal Readjustment

**Felt like updating?**

* * *

"She's changed a lot, you know?"

"I know." Tidus stared at the ground, focusing on one foot in front of the other while Rikku and Lulu followed him down the dirt path. He was on his way to the lake, trying his best to get away from the town, the path, or the beach. Anywhere someone else went was questionable in his mind, and he knew that the only people that went to the lake were himself, Wakka, and occasionally the Aurochs. And currently, _they _were _all _babysitting.

"You need to give her some leeway," Rikku added quickly, and he stuffed his hand in his pockets abruptly.

"I know," he repeated simply, trying his best not to let his annoyance into his tone.

"And space," Rikku persisted, her words slowing down as Lulu sighed slightly. "She'll need plenty of tha-at…"

"Yeah, I know," Tidus replied again, his tone duller again, he gave her a quick look in the silence that followed before turning his gaze back to the ground. He was almost to the lake now, and he kicked at the ground, clearly irritated. But whether his irritation was at Rikku or Yuna, he wasn't entirely certain. After several moments of quiet, Rikku opened her mouth to speak again, clearly intent on getting to the bottom of the matter.

"Well, what happened?" she asked hurriedly, and Tidus couldn't help but grit his teeth, brow furrowing.

"It was just a stupid fight-" he replied slowly, seeming to cut off the 'nothing big' that Lulu could practically hear coming at the end of the sentence. Rikku didn't appear to notice.

"Then why are you out _here_?"

"Space," he replied, and only Lulu seemed to pick up on the slight tenor of bitterness in the word. "Said so yourself."

"So you're not angry at her?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"How could I be? So what if she's changed a bit, it's only natural," he replied, and Lulu was surprised that he was clearly telling the truth – not a hint of bitterness in the words, only a slightly noticeable tinge of depressed defeat. This was going to pose a problem, Lulu thought, and she was almost about to bite her lip in thought – something she only did in truly problematic situations. This was proving to be one of those.

"So you'll talk to her?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well you're not now?" It was posed as a question, but all three of them knew the challenging statement it was meant as. Tidus gritted his teeth slightly.

"I'm not… _not _talking to her…" he replied slowly.

"You're just not talking to her," Rikku finished for him, and he realised that she knew exactly what he meant. Not talking was funny business.

"I think you've lost me," Lulu said after a moment, looking between the two of them cautiously for a moment before Rikku bothered to explain.

"Well, it's like… he's not _avoiding _Yuna, as such, he's just not going out of his way to see her…? Make sense?"

"Does now."

Rikku smiled slightly at the acknowledgement before realising that they'd stopped, overlooking the lake that centred Besaid. Tidus leant against the rocky wall to their left, staring out at the water quietly.

"So why aren't you…"

"I think the way she put it was 'temporal readjustment'," he replied dryly, before Rikku had even finished the sentence, and he turned to see her fixing him with an expression that meant 'say again?'. He smiled humourlessly. "Third day that I was here – three months ago – she said it might be hard for me to get back into the flow, because this was a world I didn't know. _Again_. Worldly readjustment. Getting used to new things." He paused, grim smile in place, and turned back to the water again. "Then, my third week here, the term came up again. I was all set in, used to everything, but _she _was having a hard time."

"'Course she would, Tidus," Rikku replied quickly. "She's spent so long looking around Spira, playing hero and saving the world. Just give her some time."

"That's the plan," he replied simply, and Lulu saw straight through the words. Rikku, however, clearly wasn't so in tune with seeing through Tidus's transparent moments, because she continued on, not seeing that there was clearly something more to the earlier explanation.

"So you'll talk to her?"

"If she's there, yes." There was a silence before he answered the doubtful expression he knew he was getting. "Take a look back on every day you've been here, Rikku. When's she even bothered to be with me?" And the bitterness in his voice wasn't so restrained this time, so even Rikku blinked at it.

"Have you ever tried-"

"Yes," he replied curtly. "She told me she was too preoccupied, I'd only get in the way, and she'd find me later."

"Did-"

"No, she didn't." And the silence after his abrupt reply stretched on for several minutes while Riku twitched visibly and Lulu stared at the young man with renewed interest. His temperance was becoming quite noticeable these days. After a couple of minutes, Rikku spoke again, more tentative now.

"If I ask her to… see you and… try a bit more…?" she trailed off uncertainly, unsure of where to go from there. She heard him sigh slightly before he replied.

"I'd consider it a miracle, Rikku, since she's barely looked my way in two months," he replied quietly, and Rikku's eyes widened, only now grasping the importance of what was going on between her cousin and her best friend. She let go of a quiet 'oh' before he continued. "But if you can get her to sit down and talk to me, there's no way I'd say no."

Rikku nodded slightly to herself, mind whirring with what she was going to say. "I'll do my best," she said quickly, and then she turned on her heel and started back the way they'd come. Silence reigned for several moments between the two left standing, and Lulu stared at Tidus, deep in thought.

"You didn't tell the entire truth there, did you," she said softly, and there wasn't an ounce of question in her tone. She could almost see the reappearance of the grim smile on his face, and when he replied his voice was riddled with all the bitterness and sadness he'd been hiding away.

"Not quite," he agreed quietly. "But you've never been one to be fooled, have you, Lu?"

She smiled slightly. "Not really, no… It wasn't settling back in she was having a problem with, was it?" she asked, and again it came out as more of a statement, flat and definite. His body seemed to shake once, and she knew he was laughing silently at the words, at himself, in his newfound dry sense of humour, hands in his pockets, eyes on the water.

"No," he confirmed quietly, and the broken feeling in his voice half unnerved her. "It was me."


End file.
